DeutschatEnglish

Makings of a Winemaker

Heinrich Hartl III.
Heinrich Hartl loves to experiment. He’s a winemaker by passion and strives for perfection in every wine that he makes. Two varietals, Pinot Noir and Rotgipfler, evoke in him a special zeal. Unsurprisingly, then, his great heroes are in Burgundy. But also in Switzerland, where Daniel Gantenbein is receiving international attention for his Pinot Noir, and in Austria, where Andi Kollwentz is producing world-class red wines right through his range. Heinrich Hartl’s tools are his own hands and the panoply of experiences and skills he has garnered over the years and which now define his winemaking.

The son of a winemaker, Heinrich Hartl has extended his knowledge of winemaking in the following places:

In New Zealand
Working at Sacred Hill Winery, Hastings Hawks Bay, under winemaker Tony Bish, in 1999
Working under winemakers Matthew and Lynette Donalds at Pegasus Bay Winery, Canterbury, in 2000

In Italy
Working under Holger Dütsch at Clemens Waldthaler Winery in South Tirol

And on study tours in
Portugal, France (Burgundy, Alsace, Jura, Champagne), Hungary (Tokay, Eger) and Germany (Pfalz, Baden, Ahr, Franken, Mosel).

Heinrich Hartl’s biggest goal?
“To move from the outer periphery of the wine world to Mt. Olympus.”

Why is Pinot Noir his favourite wine?
“It’s Pinot Noir’s uniqueness and originality that fascinate me. It has fruit notes that are not found in any other wines. A wine made from Pinot Noir always reveals where it came from and who made it. Pinot Noir is the biggest challenge facing anybody who makes red wine.”